Thiruvananthapuram tops new list of 30 for Smart City Mission

New Delhi, June 23 (IANS): The central government on Friday announced a new list of 30 cities to be developed into ‘smart cities’, with Thiruvananthapuram topping the list. “A total of 45 cities contested for 40 available smart city slots but only 30 were selected to ensure feasible and workable plans that match the aspirations of the citizens as directed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Urban Development and Housing Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said while announcing the new batch of smart cities at a National Workshop on Urban Transformation here. The central government had launched the Smart City Mission on June 25, 2015 to develop 100 smart cities in a period of five years.